DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC PARABOLIC EQUATION PROPAGATIONMODELS FOR US NAVY APPLICATIONS

The U.S. Navy has been developing models to describe and predict elect romagnetic propagation in the lower atmosphere for many years, and the se models have been used in conjunction with system simulations to eva luate operational system performance with excellent success. Current c apabilities in electromagnetic propagation modeling for the Navy are t he result of cooperation between several organizations both inside and outside the Navy community. Currently, several propagation models are available to prospective users, which has resulted in some confusion regarding validation, certification, and accreditation. The objective of this article is to explain the history, evolution, and intended app lications of the various models, as well as to address some of the cur rent issues in model validation and certification. Recommended guideli nes for model selection are also presented.